Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas to showcase skills next week
By Ed Carroll
He’s still not eligible to sign a MLB contract, but Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas plans to have a showcase for his talent in the Dominican Republic by the end of next week so the big-league clubs can get a look at him ahead of the winter free agent bonanza. Tomas, a 24-year old corner outfielder with a blend of power and speed, defected from Cuba in June and was cleared by the US government to sign a contract in the country earlier this week.
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Tomas stands at 6’4″, 240 lbs., and has played for both Cuba’s national team and Cuba’s team in the World Baseball Classic. Tomas also played five years in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, with the Havana Industriales, so as a professional he will not be subject to international signing guidelines when he is cleared by the league to sign.
Since 2008, Tomas has hit 30 home runs for Havana in 205 games, and is considered agile for his size with a good arm in the outfield. He has never played more than 69 games in a season (Serie Nacional only plays 90 games in its season), adding to the potential risk of signing a mostly unknown player. Many international scouts consider Tomas to be a “high-risk, high-reward” type of signing, but given the recent success of Cuban imports such as Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, and Tomas’s relative young age and near-readiness for the Major Leagues, it would be surprising if all MLB teams aren’t represented in some form or another at the showcase. It is unknown what type of contract or length Tomas would ideally seek.